


Pay Attention, There Will Be A Test

by shiptoomuch



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe-Teachers, F/M, Fluff, Humor, M/M, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2018-01-19 23:31:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1488157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiptoomuch/pseuds/shiptoomuch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leonard McCoy gets a job at Enterprise High School.<br/>He gets way more than he bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pay Attention, There Will Be A Test

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thehawkwardpinenut](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehawkwardpinenut/gifts), [ussmckirk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ussmckirk/gifts).



> so this happened.

~~~~  
AUGUST  
~~~~  
"We’re so glad to have you joining the Knights, Mr McCoy." Chris Pike offers a final handshake before starting toward the door. The principal catches himself just before leaving and he turns back to Leo as though he’s sudden remembered something. "Oh, and McCoy?"

"Yes?" Leo replies gruffly. He’s ready to just start the damn year already. He loves teaching and all but sometimes dealing with the adults can be worse than the kids.

"The math teacher across the hall, Jim Kirk, he’…just ignore pretty much everything he says to you."

Leo nods but wonders at this. “Okay. Is he one of those guys who hates English or something?” Leo’s had to work with far too many jerks like that to deal with that sort of bullshit anymore. Just because they spent their time with pages of numbers in college while he was reading-

"No! Jim’s great. He’s just…he tends to like people too much. Gets attached and annoying." Chris warns with a chuckle. "Hyper and clingy."

"Like and overgrown puppy?" Leo suggests.

Chris laughs and nods. “A bit.” He opens his mouth to continue but is suddenly interrupted by the sound of a grown man singing Katy Perry songs at the top of his lungs. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Chris groans. “I’d hoped you wouldn’t ‘ve subjected to it so soon.”

"Choose your battles, babe!" A blond head of hair walkthrough the door of Leo’s classroom, already chattering away to Pike. The only thought that Leo has is that this is probably the closest any living person has ever come to his mental picture of Ashley Wilkes.

Which of course makes Leo start blushing like a goddamn southern belle. “I’m not Scarlett O’Hara, dammit!” He blurts, not completely conscious of what he’s saying.  
Jim, who had been discussing something unnamable with Pike, stops mid sentence and gives him a strange look. 

“Never said you were, though you certainly do have the accent for it….Bones!” Jim chirps the last word out, much to Leo’s confusion. “Oh, come on, his shirt matches the poster!” He points excitedly at Leo’s chest.

Leo looks down at his ‘lucky shirt’ (not that he’d ever admit to having a lucky shirt.) It’s a simple and soft, very worn, black shirt with a picture of the human skeleton on it. In simple white script, it reads, “literature is the backbone of society.”

He turns around and sees that he does indeed match the poster on the back wall of his classroom, probably left by the last teacher to occupy it. “I swear I didn’t do it on purpose. It was already here, I swear!” Leo pulls his cardigan closed defensively.

Jim nods and cackles. “I know. Puri and I were good friends.”

Pike snorts. “Friends? Is that what you call it? I thought it was more of a relationship in which you annoyed the living daylights out of him until he retired.”

"Semantics." Jim waves Chris off before offering Leo his hand. "Jim Kirk. I teach math right across the hall."

"Leonard McCoy. English. Right here." He takes Jim’s hand for a quick shake during which he tries to ignore how warm and soft his hands are. "I’m assuming Puri was my predecessor?"

"Yeah. Great guy. You’ve got a lot to live up to."

Leo takes that in stride. English teachers are usually a love em or hate em kind of thing. Rarely do they fall in the indifferent category. Puri taught at Enterprise for years. It’d be no surprise to see some students still being loyal. “I’ll have to remember that.”

Pike claps his hands. “Alright. Well, I’ve got to go give a few more pep talks to the staff. Don’t be late showing up to your own class again, Jim. You got ap calc, don’t make me regret not giving it to Mitchell.”

"I don’t even have a class until second period. And Mitchell’s an ass."

"Aren’t you a bit young to be teaching the hardest class around?" Leo asks abruptly.

Chris groans and massages his temples while Jim preens.”Yes, indeed. I’m chair of the math department as of two years ago when Pike got the principal gig.” He claps Pike on the shoulder. “Thanks, dad!”

"Dad?" Leo didn’t take Chris as the nepotism type and he doesn’t have the same last name as Jim, but-

"God, no!" Chris exclaims. "And thank god for that. Jim is obnoxious as hell. I’d go crazy trying to raise him." He walks out finally, throwing over his shoulder a yell of, "Class starts in half an hour! I swear to god, Jim, if you’re late-" His voice fades and Jim starts laughing nearly uncontrollably.

Then it’s Leo standing in his new classroom with a man, who, while attractive, he doesn’t actually know and therefore would prefer to not spend an extended amount of time with. Especially with what Pike has already told him.  
"So." Jim rocks back on his heels and the way he talks sounds almost…expectant. Like he wants something Leo can’t quite pinpoint. Jim stares at him for a few more moments while Leo raises an eyebrow. "I’m just gunna go get ready. First day of class. Math. Exciting stuff." Jim rambles.

"Stressful" Leo counters.

Jim claps him on the shoulder. “Come on, Bones. It’ll be fun!” He scurries out of the room.

Bones?  
-  
Pavel Chekov cannot believe his life. He made a bet with Janice last week over the outcome of a novel that he hadn’t realized she’d already read. Now he’s wearing highlighter orange skinny jeans on the first day of his junior year.

Vodka and book clubs don’t mix.

"This is how we know you’re too skinny, Pav." Janice comes out of nowhere and drapes herself over his shoulders. "Those were jeans freshman year, before I even had boobs, let alone this great ass. " She slaps her own ass loudly.

"Hey! My ass is great, fuck you very much!" Pavel shrieks. Lost of the kids in the hall ignore them. They’ve grown used to the antics of Pavel and Janice. Only freshmen think anything of it and they’re too afraid of life to do anything. "Fat Americans." Pavel purposefully makes his accent even more pronounced than usual and glares at some passing freshman that look about eleven.

"Speaking of great asses, the new teacher across the hall from Kirk is so hot." Christine Chapel, the senior of their little group, comes out of nowhere, practically singing. (Which makes sense, considering how she just got out of zero hour choir.)

"No way is he hotter than Kirk." Janice counters. "That man is so…ugh." she lets out a too-sexual-for-school moan. "I would do dirty dirty things to him."

Pavel frowns and knits his eyebrows together. His stomach churns with insane jealousy that he knows is irrational. Janice would never actually sleep with a teacher. Still, he can’t help but wish she’d call him hot.

Pavel had moved to San Francisco from Russia in eighth grade. He’d been gangly, skinny, and completely awkward. With an accent that no body could understand, he was the subject of intense bullying.

Cue Janice. Pavel had gone to the high school for an eighth grade open house night and one of the football players, Nero, found Pavel to be a fun target. Just when he was about to start crying, Janice stomped over and yelled at Nero, along with Christine, who was dating Nero at the time.

So Christine broke up with him but gained two friends in Janice and Pavel.  
The rest, as they say, is history. It was all good and normal until the musical Pavel and Janice’s freshman year. Jan and Pavel had been in the chorus because Christine dragged them to auditions (she was the star, of course.) And suddenly Pavel realized in the middle of a square dance…

He was so fucking screwed.

So while Christine and Janice continue to chatter on about which teacher was hotter, Pavel just wants to throw himself off the top of the school.

"Honestly, I’m just glad you guys are old enough to actually be in some of my classes. Finally." Christine sighs out as she’s about to climb the stairs to AP Biology with Mr Spock.

"We had chem together last year, Chris." Pavel rolls his eyes.

"Whatever. See you in calc, nerds!" Christine runs up the stairs.

"Time to go check out the hot new teacher, Pav!" Janice grabs his hand and starts pulling him down the hallway.

Pavel Chekov is wearing bright orange pants and he hates his life.

-

Leo can practically feel himself about to start panicking right before the first students walk in.

Luckily, they aren’t total assholes. He can normally tell them apart and the blonde girl dragging her (boyfriend?) into the room doesn’t seem like she’s that awful.

But that might just be the copy of Brave New World in her hand.

The boy, however, swearing bright orange pants that make his curly hair look even more ridiculous. If Leo had only seen the gray hoodie, it would have looked normal.

Those pants though…Leo can only hope it was a bet or something.

When he finally gets over pondering the fashion trends of kids today, Leo can finally appreciate what the hoodie says. “Georgia Tech?”

The kid turns to him with a sheepish grin. “Yes, sir! Their research on nuclear fusion is very fascinating!” He speaks overly enthusiastically with an accent that has to be fake.  
"I have some friends who work there. Great school. What’s your name, kid?" Leo looks down at the first period class roster.

"Chekov, sir. Pavel Chekov."

Maybe the accent is real. Leo turns to the girl and points his pen expectantly.

"Janice Rand. Your favorite student, probably." She gives him a smile that reminds him of Joanna.

Leo grunts and half smiles. “I’d say I don’t do favorites, but we all know that’s a lie.” He taps his nose with his pen. “Don’t tell anyone.”

Janice and Chekov calendars together (surely they’re dating, based on the way Pavel looks at her) in the second row, near the middle.

As gung-ho as the first students seemed, it gave him false hope that he should have known better than to have. The rest of his class files in, some of them already looking completely burnt out on the first day of school.

"Good morning, Enterprise, and welcome to the 2013-2014 school year! Now, I know you’re all dreading this, but I think we can make it great!" Pike’s voice comes over the PA system. A few of the students glare at the ceiling, as if they could make him shut up with the sheer power of their hatred. Reminds Leo of himself.

"Also, remember, no matter what a certain math teacher may you, building castles out of diet cherry coke cans isn’t funny, not cool and not permitted." Pike finishes with a sigh. "Have a nice year."

A few of the students snicker at that last part and Leo just has to ask. “Okay. I’m new. Someone has to tell me what the hell that last part was all about.” Leo raises an eyebrow and folds his arms across his chest. “Also, does anyone have a problem with some swearing on my part?”

The students all shake their heads and a few raise their hands to respond to his question about the coke cans. Suddenly Jim Kirk himself bursts into the room. He points at Leo firmly. “Don’t listen to anyone, McCoy. It’s all lies and slander. Also, can castles are so cool.”

The students all start laughing and talking. A few girls, including Janice, all make heart eyes at Kirk. “You’ve made me lose control of my classroom. Dammit, Kirk.”

"Your accent..Mississippi?" Kirk attempts to change the topic.

"Georgia. Go back to your own classroom."

"Alright, miss O’Hara."

~~~~  
SEPTEMBER  
~~~~

“You just need to ask her to homecoming. She’ll say yes.” Christine corners Pavel while he’s going through his locker in desperate search for his calculus homework (he could swear he did it...though that might have been a stress induced dream) and fixes him with the most intimidating glare he’s ever seen.

Pavel panics, to say the least. He’d thought that he was doing a pretty good job of being subtle but apparently not. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Christine just raises an eyebrow. Pavel shakes. 

“I can’t just ask her. She’s my best friend!”

“Your best friend who you’re so thirsty for, it kills me. She wants you too. Just ask her out, sleep with her, and get it over with before I cry on you both.” Christine threatens him.

Pavel brings his hand to his mouth and starts chewing on his thumbnail. It’s a habit that everyone from teachers to friends to even his parents hate vehemently. He even hates it, but he can’t help it. He gets nervous, he practically eats his thumb. “She doesn’t like me, Chris. It’s cool.”

Christine gets a look in her eye like she’s about to throttle him and Pavel momentarily fears for his life. She can be terrifying when she wants to be. “I officially hate both of you. So much.” She turns on her heel and stomps off. He watches her round the corner with a relieved sigh. At least he didn’t get killed.

Or worse.

“Expelled.” He whispers to himself with a giggle. Then he mostly wants to punch himself. Hard.

He has a great friend in Chris Chapel, he really does, but sometimes she’s the most infuriating person alive. She pushes, but she’s certainly never steered him wrong and that gives him a lot to think about.

He adjusts his backpack and walks into Kirk’s room. “Hello, Captain!” He calls out to the teacher, who is indeed the coach or ‘Captain’ of the school’s small math team. The season hasn’t yet started, but Chekov comes in after school a few days a week to help the teacher grade papers and organize said papers while Janice holds her book club and Chris goes to a myriad of rehearsals for various performing arts. “What do you need help with today?”

Kirk looks up and adjusts his black framed glasses carefully. He smiles a bit and waves him over to a desk that has a pile of assignments on it. “Just some geometry homework to grade.” He turns back to the pile of calculus quizzes in front of him and starts chewing on the end of his pen.

Chekov makes his way through the worksheets carefully. It’s simple, almost mindless work to go through and mark off wrong answers, occasionally adding in some comments about how to better do the work. It’ll be ignored, probably, but Chekov loves it a ridiculous amount. “Mister Kirk?” He decides finally to ask his teacher that had been nagging at the back of his mind for the last half hour.

“Yes, Pavel?”

“You have experience with love, correct?” He blurts out. Not exactly how he wanted to phrase that, but at least it gets the message across.

Pavel is lonely and desperate. (Thirsty, to use Christine’s terminology.)

Kirk’s eyes go comically wide and he coughs awkwardly. “I suppose. Girl troubles? Boy troubles? Anything in between troubles?”

Pavel nods. “It is the worst. I do not understand girls at all. How do you know if they are interested?” He babbles on until Kirk laughs outright. Pavel silences himself with a blush.

God, he’s so embarrassing.

“You don’t.” Kirk shrugs. “Women are strange creatures that like to keep you on your toes. It’s a cruel and unusual game.” Kirk explains. “I’m assuming this is about you and Miss Rand?” 

Pavel goes scarlet at that. Even his teacher realizes? “Is everyone aware of this?”

“Fraid so, young padawan.” Kirk takes off his glasses. “If you want my advice, just ask her. You two are friends. She won’t hate you for it.”

Pavel gathers up his books with a quick “Thank you, Mister Kirk.” before dashing out of the room.

He’s got a book club to crash.

-

Jim groans and scrubs his hands over his eyes. The numbers and letters are starting to swim in front of his eyes and he knows that if he looks at one more page, he’ll die.

That is, if he isn’t already dead and is now in calculus hell. It’s a likely possibility.

He finishes up the final page and throws his pen across the room. It hits the wall and falls. Jim doesn’t have the energy or willpower to go pick it up and decides he’ll probably retrieve it in the morning.

Maybe. He’ll probably end up forgetting and losing it forever.

It’s fine. He has plenty of pens.

Music starts playing across the hall, which means Bones is probably grading but not totally dedicated to it, so Jim can make the trek across the hall and bug him. Jim stretches and rises from his seat. His back cracks far too many times for a man of his age.

He feels old and tired and all he can do is thank to lord that it’s Friday.

Crossing into McCoy’s room finds Bones leaning back in his desk chair, a copy of Dandelion Wine in one hand and a can of his precious diet Dr Pepper in the other. The man has an unhealthy addiction. “Hey there, Jim.” Bones speaks slowly, letting his accent come out and curl lazily around the greeting. He looks more relaxed than Jim’s ever seen him, even with a hint of a smile.

Jim pretends he doesn’t have goose bumps at the sight of his very much platonic new friend. “Not even grading, Bones?I thought you were above laziness.” He teases.

Bones scoffs and carefully marks his place in the novel. He picks up a stack of papers and shows it to Jim. “Got it all done while the book club was experiencing it’s first bit of drama ever.” A few line appear between his eyebrows. “My grammar comp class tomorrow is going to be murderous.” 

Jim snorts. He knows the feeling. Hell hath no fury like a worried honors student. Anything below a B+, and it’s like World War III and it’s all his fault for some reason. “They’ll get over it, Bones.” Jim shrugs and picks up the novel Bones has just put down.

“Don’t call me that.” Bones grunts but Jim can see him smiling behind his pop can.

“So, drama in the book club?” Jim prompts, sure that Chekov was probably involved in some capacity.

Bones groans. “Yeah. That one wrestler, Michael Gorn, comes in near the end with a bouquet of fucking roses and asks Janice Rand to homecoming. Janice tells him to just wait until the meeting’s over and of course he won’t accept that.” Bones rolls his eyes.

Jim knows what he’s talking about. He spent pretty much all of last year grappling with Gorn and his attitude. He also knows Janice, though, and she’s not exactly the calmest person on the planet. “How’d Rand take that?”

“She told him to beat it, that she’d rather die single than ever go anywhere with him.” Bones couldn’t hold back his grin. “I’m proud of her, really. Gorn’s a tool. Just wish Pavel hadn’t walked in.”

“Got the brunt of it all?” Jim winces.

“Yeah. Poor kid.” Bones shakes his head and takes a sip from his can. “You read that book before?” He nods towards the paperback in Jim’s hands.

“Yeah.” Jim smiles. “Actually used to live in Greentown.”

Bones stares at him blankly. “You do realize it’s not a real place, right, Jim? It’s called fiction for a reason.”

Jim shakes his head and laughs. “Well, it’s not actually called Greentown, but it is a real place. You of all people should know about Waukegan, Bones. You’re basically married to Bradbury.”

“You lived in Waukegan?” Bones raises an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah!” Jim assures him. “Only for about a year, but yeah. With my aunt and uncle.”

Jim thinks back to that year and it surprises him that he can. Back when he was fourteen, he was nothing but angry at the world. First for taking his father, then for not giving him anything in return except for school, distant relatives, and an even more distant mother and brother. “Bet you’re jealous of me living in a book for real.” He teases, trying to push down the unwelcome swell of emotion.

Bones just raises an eyebrow at him with an expression that screams ‘You’re an idiot.’ 

“Jim, up until August, I lived in Clayton County, Georgia.”

Jim doubts anything in his life has ever brought him so much glee. He still doesn’t konw why the other man said what he did when they first met, but Jim has yet to let go of the Scarlett O’Hara thing. “Bones! You are so Gone With the Wind, it kills me!”

Bones rolls his eyes so hard Jim is worried they’ll actually fall out of his head. He starts shuffling around papers on his desk with a scowl. He moves a picture frame to pick something up and the image in the frame catches Jim’s eye.

He’s never taken the time to look at any of Bones’ personal effects scattered throughout the room. While they might talk and Jim likes to consider them friends, it’s not like Spock, where he can just waltz in and make himself at home. There are boundaries that Bones clearly does not want crossed.

Jim’s cool with that. He can do boundaries.

But boundaries can go fuck themselves when there is a picture of Bones holding a little girl that looks almost identical to him. And he’s grinning. Jim didn’t think he could actually manage anything beyond a half smile that’s barely noticeable. 

Jim sees the wedding band on his left hand and his mind goes a bit fuzzy. The fact that Bones had a whole life before Enterprise confuses him for some reason, even though he knows he definitely must have. It’s not like Leonard McCoy burst into existence just over a month ago.

“That’s my daughter, Joanna.” Bones nods and speaks like it’s not a big deal that he has a kid. “She’s actually coming to live with me in a week.”

“Why doesn’t she live with you now?” Jim inquires. It surprises him that he actually cares.

“Had to get myself settled out here so she’s staying with her mother right now. But I do have custody, so she’s coming out here.”

Jim nods, still trying to process this new bit of information. “Divorce?”

“Yeah.”

“Was it bad?”

Bones shakes his head. “At first it was, but what divorce isn’t messy? Jocelyn is still my best friend. Always will be. She’s actually been talking about moving out here so she can have Joanna some weekends and holidays without making a six year old travel cross country.”

Jim’s eyes go wide. Most divorced couples he knows absolutely hate each other. “And you’re okay with that?”

Bones shrugs. “Of course. A little girl needs her momma.”

Jim opens his mouth to continue when Carol Marcus, the Environmental Science teacher, walks in. She nods to Jim before speaking to Leo. “I’ve decided to take you p on your offer, Leonard. Does Babies ‘r’ Us at 11 on Saturday sound good?”

Jim’s eyes just about fall out of his head at this point. “You and Robert are pregnant? And you didn’t tell me?” Once he gets over his shock, he grins. “You’re the one, Carol. You’re the one pregnant teacher. Oh, this is gold.”

~~~~  
OCTOBER  
~~~~

Nyota knows Spock would never admit to it, but he hates freshmen. A lot. He can’t stand the obnoxious behavior and unnecessary questions all the time.

And he’s best friends with Jim, so that’s saying something.

Their friendship is something Nyota has never understood, but it dates back to before she knew either of them so there has to be some reason for it.She has yet to find it, but it has to exist.

She steps out of her car at the exact moment that Spock pulls his car into the space in front of hers so that their cars are nose to nose. She grabs the paper bakery bag from the front seat and smiles softly at her boyfriend. They meet between the two cars he hands her a coffee and she gives him the bag. He kisses her cheek and she blushes, even though they’ve been together for years.

It’s a simple routine, but it’s comfot and she really wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

They walk into the school at 7 o’clock sharp, still an hour and a half before school starts. Spock holds Nyota’s hand tightly, the only sign of affection they ever really choose to share in public.

“I have some biology students coming in for assistance at 7:30 though they will likely be late.” Spock says as he pulls the two pastries out of the bag. Part of their routine is eating together and she’s just glad he didn’t decide to forego that due to the impending freshman idiocy.

“We’ll make this quick, then.” She sits gracefully on the lab stool near his desk.

Spock sighs (not that anyone else would really pick up on it. His reactions are small at best.) “I do wish we would not have to. These students would not need any help if they would simply cease speaking during lessons.”

Yeah, he really hates freshmen.

They pick apart their food in silence for a few minutes. Uhura checks her email on her phone and Spock shuffles through papers. To someone like Jim, it would seem awkward.

Then again, Jim’s never really been good at the whole “committed” thing. She doubts he’s ever actually even liked someone.

“Hello, Leonard.” Spock’s voice cuts through the silence and Ny whips her head up to see who it is he’s speaking to. In the doorway stands the new English teacher with whom Nyota has only spoken a few rare times but he’s sharp and his humor is biting, so she can’t find a reason to dislike him.

“Uhura, if you have the time, could you help me get this damn projector sorted? Jim said he’d help me but the fool is late.” He rolls his eyes. “Not that I should really be all that surprised.”

Nyota raises and eyebrow at the somewhat fond coloring of his voice while he talks about the math department chair. Leonard is yet another person who doesn’t seem like he’d be close to someone like Jim at all, but the pair has been growing closer and closer through the months.

Must be the proximity. “Yes. I’ve had many experiences grappling with those devils.” She smiles and nods. “I should be able to lend a hand.”

-

Jim walks into his classroom at 7:2- sharp with a skip in his step, He whistles some meaningless pop song he probably heard on the radio at some point.

He’s wearing his favorite blazer, the sun is shining, and he got all his grading done. It’s a good day to be Jim Kirk. 

He settles into his incredibly comfortable desk chair, ready to start the day when he suddenly remembers. 

He was supposed to help Bones with his projector. He promised last night when they were on their way out of the building. “Shit.” he mutters to himself before jumping out of his chair and dashing across the hall.

He’s expecting an angry Bones but what he’s met with is quite the opposite. Bones is leaning back in his chair, feet on his desk while some Dixie Chicks song plays softly from the speakers on his desk. “Really, Bones? I know you’re southern, but Dixie Chicks? Seems a bit ridiculous even for you.”

Bones shoots him a smile that has definite intention behind it. “Good morning, Darlin’” He stands and walks over to Jim. The pet name sends shivers down his spine.

“Hey Bones.” Jim’s voice wavers a little as the other man wraps his arms around him. He slips his hands into Jim’s back pockets. “You need help with your project-uh” Jim’s words are cut off by a groan as Bones squeezes his ass. This is just unfair.

Bones shushes Jim and starts pressing kisses to Jim’s neck. Jim’s mind goes blank, to say the least. “Couldn’t sleep last night. Kept thinking about you, Darlin’.”

“Really?” Jim tries to form actually words while Bones is sucking a bruise into his neck that will be ridiculously hard to cover up.

“Yep.” Bones pops the ‘p’ of the word. “Can’t get you out of my head, you know that. They way you looked under me the other night. Enough to make a man go crazy.” He grinds his hips against Jim.

“Work, Bones.” Jim attempts to remain rational. “We can’t.” 

He’s ignored, of course. Bones kisses him, practically fucking Jim’s mouth with his tongue. A hand snakes down between them to undo Jim’s fly-

“I can make your gray skies bluer”

Huh.

“I can make your gray skies bluer.”

If Jim didn’t know any better, he’d say that sounds like his-

Shit. His phone.

Jim startles awake when his phone rings. He picks it up. “Hello?”

“Jim, are you coming?” Bones-the real Bones-growls out. “You said you’d be here at 7 and it’s quarter past.”

Jim groans and scrubs a hand over his face. “Shit, I’m sorry, Bones. You could ask Uhura, maybe? She should be in Spock’s room.”

“Fine.” Jim can hear the irritation in his voice. He can’t help but feel relieved. Probably couldn’t stand to face the other man after that dream. “You okay, Jim?”

Jim blushes even though there’s no way for Bones to know about that dream. There was no way for him to see Jim’s shame. “Yeah. Just still tired.”

(If dream Bones’ words of “couldn’t stop thinking about you.” echo through his mind, he ignores them.)

The call ends and Jim gives himself a serious talking to. He only dreamt about Bones because the man is obviously hot and Jim’s brain is idiotic. He doesn’t fuck coworkers, though. He made that rule for himself the minute he started teaching. Best to not shit (or fuck) where you eat.

The thing that keeps haunting Jim is not Bones’ mouth or hands, but rather his eyes. The way they crinkled up when he smiled and how full of adoration and commitment to Jim they were.

It was just a dream. Just because Jim dreamt about it doesn’t mean he wants it. Nightmares happen all the time.

Except it wasn’t a nightmare.

This could prove to be a problem.

“Shit.”

~~~~  
NOVEMBER  
~~~~

Leo sighs and rolls his shoulders as soon as he gets back to his apartment. He plops down onto the couch and looks around at the empty space. Jo’s gone to sleep over at a friend’s house and he’s got the whole place to himself.

He thought he’d be relieved to be freed from all the duties of being the single father of a six year old, but it’s strangely empty and lonely without someone else in the apartment. He turns on the TV just for the purpose of filling the room with sound other than his own self pity and pulls the stack of AP Lang essays out.

He usually likes to not grade on a Friday night, but what else does he have going on?

Nothing, that’s what.

The two papers on the top of the pile are Janice and Pavel’s, which, by some series of steps that don’t really make sense, makes him think about Jim. Probably because Pavel’s on math team and Jim’s the coach.

Needing to absolutely rid himself of thoughts of Jim (which always lead to thoughts of Jim’s ass and lips) immediately, he picks up Janice’s essay again and starts reading, red pen at the ready. Brave New World...dystopian...parallels to today...Janice has already read this book multiple times, so he doesn’t really have a problem with the whole thing. Standard essay.

He makes his way through the stack, and either they’re getting worse and worse, or he’s getting progressively meaner with his grading. Figuring it’s probably the latter, he gives up. He’ll get it done before Monday.

Probably.

He looks at the clock on the wall. It’s nearing 8. Maybe he should have gone to the open house with Jocelyn. At least he’d be doing something instead of sitting alone at home with nothing to do but read and work.

His fingers twitch toward his phone but he stops himself because that is about seven different kinds of pathetic. He’s not going house hunting with his ex wife. He’s just not. He’s pathetic but he’s not that desperate for human interaction.

He considers ordering out for food, but he needs something to distract himself, and cooking’s always been good for that.

After digging through a fridge that wouldn’t be stocked if it weren’t for the fact that he’s got a child, he decides buttermilk biscuits and fried chicken, while time consuming, screams “Homesick momma’s boy” just a little bit too much.

Stir fry. That’s unpathetic and kind of California, right? He tries to convince himself that he’s not the most embarrassing person alive while he throws vegetables into the pan.

An hour and a good meal accompanied by a few existential crises later, Leo settles onto the couch. He clutches a bowl of ice cream to his chest and clicks over to a different channel. A nameless movie with a blonde actress plays onscreen. He pretends to pay attention, but his mind keeps wandering.

Leo thinks to Nyota and Carol, who invited him out with some other teachers. He’s not sure why he turned them down.

Jim also invited him to go out with the math department for drinks. Leo definitely knows why he turned that down.

After working at Enterprise for about three months, Leonard started to hear stories. Turns out there are a lot of stories about Jim Kirk.

Kirk the Playboy.

Kirk the party animal.

Kirk the jerk.

The last one makes Leo snort, but the warnings stick all the same. Jim Kirk might be a good friend at work, but his past points to Jim being nothing but trouble down the road.

It does puzzle him, though. Jim’s obnoxious as all get out and rowdy as hell, but he doesn’t exactly seem like a hardcore partier.

The sex, however, he believes. That man is walking seduction, even when he’s not trying.

The fighting, though? Leo thinks that maybe Jim Kirk’s past isn’t anything like the present.

Jim Kirk plagues Leo’s thoughts more than should be happening.

He manages to stop thinking about Jim long enough to fall asleep on the couch, dreaming fitfully of chick flicks.

Leo wakes up by falling off the couch to the tune of a nameless generic ringtone. Apparently phones are much scarier when he’s asleep.

He grabs for the phone and squints at it blearily. Jim Kirk. “Hullo?” He mumbles into the phone. “Jim?”

He’s met with a shaky laugh. “Hey, Bones.” His voice sounds strained and tired. The ruckus and music in the background wakes Leo right up. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“Jim? Where are you? Are you hurt?” Without even thinking, he’s off the couch, shoving on some shoes and looking for his keys frantically.

“I’m fine, Bones. Just a little banged up. Can you come pick me up?”

Leo can tell he’s lying, but he figures arguing with an injured man probably isn’t the best idea. “Alright. Where are you?”

-

Jim isn’t drunk, really. He didn’t even finish his first beer. And yet, sitting in a corner booth of Delaney’s with napkins up his nose, he feels like he’s back at age twenty, drunk off his mind and beaten to a pulp over nothing.

Of course, he certainly didn’t provoke anyone on purpose like he used to.

Jim spent too many years trying to see how far he could push himself until he broke once and for all. No way he’s going back to that life.

All he did was offer to buy the wrong asshole a drink and that asshole happened to have homphobic friends. Fucking A.

“Jim?” His spirits soar when he sees Bones pushing past people to get to him, obviously directed by the bartender. “Oh my god, Jim. What the hell did you do?” Bones immediately reaches for his face and cradles it gently, looking him over.

“I just wanted to buy him a drink. Didn’t think he’d be so angry about that.” Jim mumbles.

“What?”

“I offered to buy a drink for a straight guy, okay?” Jim practically shouts and pulls away. “He was an asshole and got upset.”

He feels humiliated and stupid and he really shouldn’t have called the guy he’s pretty sure he’s in love with. Of all the dumbass ideas he’s ever had-

“He was obviously an idiot.” Bones murmurs, looking at Jim’s knuckles. “Turning down a drink from someone like you, straight or not.”

“What?” Jim stares at him. It almost sounded like Bones complimented his appearance. Maybe he is drunk. “What did you just say?”

Bones just rolls his eyes and helps Jim up. “Come on, kid. Let’s get you home.”

~~~~  
DECEMBER  
~~~~

“Are you sure you want me here, Bones? I really don’t have to be here.” Jim’s hands shake slightly as he carries a dish to the table.

Leo rolls his eyes and takes it away from him. The last thing he needs is sweet potato casserole all over his floor. “Jim. We are about to sit down to dinner. It’s a little bit late for you to chicken out now.”

“But it’s Christmas Eve, Bones! I’m ruining your Christmas with your daughter.” Jim exclaims. Leo can tell he doesn’t actually want to leave, but it’s ridiculous all the same.

He doesn’t respond, just pulls out Jim’s chair for him and smiles at Joanna, who offers a gap toothed grin in return. “Do we get to eat now?”

Leo chuckles. “Yes, Jojo. We get to eat now.”

The little girl sighs in relief. “Good, cuz I was worried that I was never going to get to eat. And if I don’t get to eat, then I don’t go to bed, and then I don’t get to open presents in the morning because Santa doesn’t show up!” She frowns. “Are you getting presents from santa, Mister Jim? Or have you been naughty this year?”

Jim smiles at Joanna. “I sure hope so, but I don’t know. It’s hard to remember...”

“I bet you’ve been real good, Jim.” She nods. “You don’t look like you’ve been naughty, at least.”

Leo watches Jim glow under the little girl’s compliments. Joanna and Jim sure did hit it off, from the moment he walked through the door and she demanded an introduction.

He’s happy that Jim could have a good Christmas Eve. They’d been sitting in Leo’s classroom, just talking about finals and the like when Jim let it slip he didn’t have anywhere to go for the holidays. Of course the inner southern gentleman inside of Leo came out at that exact moment and demanded that Jim come over for dinner. 

He took a little bit of convincing, but the math teacher agreed finally. 

After dinner is finished and Joanna’s demanded that Jim read her four bedtime stories before she falls asleep, they sit on the floor wrapping presents. (“Really, Bones. This has been so nice, it’s the least I can do.”)

Leo looks over at Jim, who’s totally immersed in perfectly taping the paper down, and he can’t help but let a grin blossom on his lips. He didn’t want it to happen, but he’s fallen for his friend a little bit. Jim has proven to be not only attractive, but smart and funny and even Joanna likes him.

It’s time for Leo to own up to his feelings, at least to himself. He’s attracted to Jim. He wants to kiss him and pin him down just as often as he wants to punch him. Leo wants to spend time with him, meet his family (though he thinks there’s a bit of drama there), and just be with Jim.

Leo wants Jim and he’s finally able to admit that to himself after months of denying anything and everything that could point to that. He tried, he fought valiantly, but he was gone from the minute his t shirt got pointed out.

“Bones?” Leo’s reverie is broken by Jim speaking slowly. 

Then he realizes that he’s been staring at Jim for an embarrassingly long amount of time now. “Sorry, Jim. Just thinking.”

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Leo heaves a sigh and places another wrapped package under the tree. “Thanks for being here. You were really good with Joanna.”

Jim shrugs and Leo is sure he imagines the blush that colors his pale cheeks. “It’s no problem, honestly. She’s great, Bones. You should be proud.” He pauses, as if unsure whether or not to continue. “Thanks for having me. This is the best Christmas I’ve had in years.”

Leo doesn’t know how to respond to that, so of course he goes with his gut and kisses Jim. It surprises even him, really, how fast it all happens. One minute they’re talking, the next minute he’s attacking his coworker.

Jim freezes for a second and Leo is terrified but then Jim responds. Enthusiastically. The younger man’s arms wrap around his neck and Leo could fucking fly. This is what he wanted, what he’s hoped for. 

This is Jim.

Of course, good things never can last and they eventually have to pull away for air.

Leo smiles.

Jim freezes with wide eyes. “I have to go.” He stands up and practically runs out of the apartment, not even bothering to put on his coat.

Leo stares after him in shock. He’d thought it was going well, thought that Jim wanted him too for one brief shining moment.

“Merry fucking christmas to me.” He mutters, wrapping presents, suddenly feeling confused and empty.


End file.
